herofandomcom-20200223-history
Sylvester J. Pussycat Sr.
Sylvester J. Pussycat, Sr. (Sylvester the Cat or simply Sylvester) is a fictional character, a three-time Academy Award-winning anthropomorphic cat and the secondary tritagonist in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies repertory, often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper. The name "Sylvester" is a play on Felis silvestris, the scientific name for the wild cat species (that's because Sylvester was a wild cat in the oldest cartoons, later he became domestic cat, and scientific name for domestic cats is actually Felis catus). The character debuted in Friz Freleng's Life With Feathers (1945). Freleng's 1947 cartoon, Tweetie Pie was the first pairing of Tweety with Sylvester, and the Bob Clampett-directed Kitty Kornered (1946) was Sylvester's first pairing with Porky Pig. Sylvester appeared in 103 cartoons in the golden age. Personality Pitted against Tweety, Sylvester is a brutal but clumsy predator. He is a lazy mouser and an incompetent hunter, so his focus on catching Tweety is mostly obsession. As a cat, he is terrified of dogs. He would say "AHHH SHADDUP!!!" when the dogs are keep barking when he is out of their reach even tossing flower pot toward them to keep their "ugly" traps shut. Role in Cartoons Sylvester's personality in the early shorts tends to vary depending on which director handled him. Friz Freleng first paired him against Tweety Bird and Speedy, but other directors paired him with other characters, and not always as a villain. In Bob Clampett's cartoon Kitty Kornered, Sylvester teams up with other cats to lock Porky out of the house in revenge for putting them out for the night. Robert McKimson gave Sylvester a son named Sylvester Jr. who Sylvester tries (and fails) to train in mouse-catching. These cartoons also pit him against Hippety Hopper, a baby kangaroo Sylvester always mistakes for a giant mouse. In Chuck Jones' shorts, he is Porky's cowardly pet cat, and most differently, does not speak. These are cartoons that show Sylvester as a hero, trying to protect an oblivious Porky from danger all around him. Heroic Acts *In Chuck Jones' shorts, Sylvester tries to protect Porky Pig from danger. *In A Mouse Divided, Sylvester protects a baby mouse he adopted from several other ally cats. *In Birds Anonymous, Sylvester protects Tweety from the B.A. cat who he tried to eat him and restrains him. *In Space Jam, he helped the other Looney Tunes, and Michael Jordan to defeat the Nerdlucks/Monstars. *In Curse of De Nile, he saves Granny, Tweety and Hector, who were oblivious about danger. *In Don't Polka Me, he was willing to save Tweety from two cats trying to eat him. *In Catty Cornered, he saved Tweety from two gangsters. Trivia *Sylvester once had a black nose (which was only in Kitty Kornered), but his nose has since always been red like a Conrad's. *Sylvester has one of the lowest win records out of Looney Tunes, beaten only by Wile E. Coyote. Notably even in cartoons where he is doing good deeds such as a A Mouse Divided, he still ends up losing. *Sylvester could be heard in an episode of the game show Press Your Luck. Host Peter Tomarken had earlier incorrectly credited his catchphrase "Suffering Succotash!" to Daffy Duck. Even though all three contestants had correctly answered "Sylvester", they were ruled incorrect. In a segment produced later and edited into the broadcast, Sylvester phoned Tomarken and told him, "Daffy Duck steals from me all the time." This was a joke because Daffy usually says it. *In The Looney Tunes Show, Sylvester's appearance has changed in the series. His body is more shorter and slender and his canine teeth are more sharp and prominent making him look more like a housecat. *Sylvester is similar to Tom Cat from Tom and Jerry series as both are antagonists and are jealous towards their rivals (Sylvester hates Tweety and Tom hates Jerry) and wanted to capture them, but failed miserably. Navigation Category:Male Category:Cartoon Heroes Category:Looney Tunes Heroes Category:Animals Category:Adventurers Category:Incompetent Category:Heroic Jerks Category:Mentally Ill Category:Arrogant Category:Fighter Category:Anthropomorphic Category:Good Vs. Good Category:Dimwits Category:Crossover Heroes Category:Obsessed Category:Revived Category:Cowards Category:Theatrical Heroes Category:Determinators Category:Suicidal Category:Predators Category:Scapegoat Category:Rivals Category:Comedy Heroes Category:Immortals Category:Parents Category:Brutes Category:Status dependent on Version Category:Type dependent on Version Category:Psychics Category:Genius Category:On & Off Category:Fragmental Category:Self-Aware Category:Pawn of the Villain Category:Bigger Good Category:Mischievous Category:Elementals Category:Vengeful Category:Fallen Category:Chaotic Neutral Category:TV Show Heroes Category:Movie Heroes Category:Archenemy Category:Antagonists Category:Tricksters Category:Poor Category:Chaste Category:False Antagonist Category:Friend of a Villain Category:Dreaded Category:Merciful Category:Weaklings Category:Heroic Liars Category:Paranormal Investigators Category:Protectors